The Daabba (referred to in the Bible as The Beast) is generally thought of as an animal or creature with a unique
task that will appear at the End Times and is one of the major signs of the Day
of Resurrection. It will emerge from the earth and shake the dust from its head.
It will have with it the ring of Solomon and the rod of Moses. People will be
terrified of it and will try to run away, but they will not be able to escape,
because such will be the decree of Allah. It will destroy the nose of every
unbeliever with the rod, and write the word "Kafir" (unbeliever) on his forehead; it will
adorn the face of every believer and write the word "Mu'min" (faithful Believer) on
his forehead, and it will speak to people.

Allah says in the Qur'an, "And when the word is fulfilled concerning them. We
shall bring forth a Daabba from the Earth to speak unto them
because mankind had no faith in our revelation." (Surah An-Naml 27.82
)

Commentating on the above verse, Ibn Kathir said that the Daabba will appear
very near the end of Time. When disintegration, corruption, disbelief, and evil
prevail, commands of Allah are ignored, the religion distorted and be made a
mockery of, it is then Allah will bring the Daabba out from the Earth. (Ibn
Kathir)

Abdullah-bin-Umar said, "I memorized a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم which
I have not forgotten. I heard the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم say,
'The first of the Signs that will come is the rising of the sun
from the place of its setting and the emergence of the Daabba to
people in Dhuha (later portion of the morning). Whichever of these two occurs before the other, then the other is right
behind it." (Sahih Muslim)

Imam Hakim in the light of the above Hadith has said that the rising of the Sun
from the West will take place before the emergence of the Daabba. The
Daabba will appear on the same day the sun rises from the West or very
soon thereafter.

Ibn Hajar, after quoting Imam Al-Haakim, mentions, "The wisdom in the Daabba
appearing after the Sun has risen from the West is that the door of
repentance will be closed at the time the sun rises from the West. Thus, the
Daabba will emerge to distinguish the believers from the non-believers
completing the aim of closing the door of repentance." (Ibn Hajar
Al-Asqalani's book Fat'h Al-Bari)

The Sun
rising from the West and the Daabba will be the First
Extraordinary Signs. In comparison, the Dajjal, the descent of Jesus (from
Heaven), the
emergence of Gog and Magog, are less unusual in that they are all human beings.
But the emergence of the Daabba, whose form will be very strange, its addressing
the people and classifying them as Believers or DisBelievers, is something truly
extraordinary. The Daabba will the first of the earthly signs, while the rising
of the sun from the West will the first of the heavenly signs.

Another
Hadith also mentions the Daabba.
Huzaifa bin Usaid al-Ghifari reported: Allah's Messenger
صلى الله عليه وسلم came
to us all of a sudden as we were talking. He said: "What are you discussing?" We said: "We are talking about the Last Hour."
Thereupon, he صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"It will not come until you see ten signs before it, He made a mention of the
Smoke, the Dajjal (Anti-Christ), the Daabba, the Rising of the Sun from the
West, the Descent of Jesus Son of Mary عليه السلام (from Heaven), the emergence of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog & MaGog), and
Khusuf (Landslides)
will occur in three places, One in the East, one in the West and one in Arabian
Peninsula,
at the end of which, a Fire would burn forth from Yemen (or from Aden according
to Ahmad), which would drive
people to the place of their final assembly." (Sahih Muslim, Ahmad)

Abu
Hurairah said: "The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid,
'Hasten to do
good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the
Smoke, the Dajjal, the Daabba, the (death) of one of you, or general
tribulation." (Sahih Muslim)

Abu Huraira said: "Three things that once they
occur, the soul will not benefit from believing (in God) if it did not believe
before ... (verse 6:158): the Dajjal (Anti-Christ), Daabba (Beast), and Sun rise
from the West." (Tirmizi and Al-Albani)

The Task of the Daabba

The task of the Daabba will be to distinguish the believers from the
non-believers, with Prophet Moses عليه السلام staff
(rod),
the Daabba will draw a line on the forehead of every Believer
whereby his face will become bright and luminous, and with the ring of Solomon عليه السلام,
it will seal the nose of every Non-Believer whereby his whole face will
become black. Thus, there will be complete distinction between the Muslim and
non-Muslim, so that if many parties sit at a dinner table, the Muslim and non-Muslim
will be distinguished. (Abu Huraira in Musnad Ahmad & Tirmizi)

It was
reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The Beast of the Earth will emerge, and will have with it the rod of
Moses and the ring of Solomon." It was also reported that he said, "(The Daabba)
will destroy the noses of the unbelievers with the ring, - so people seated
around one table will begin to address one another with the words "O Believer!"
or "O Unbeliever!" (i e, everyone's status will become clear). (Ibn
Maja)

The Daabba will stamp the Believer by writing "Mu'min" (faithful believer) between his eyes, and
stamp the non-Believer by writing "Kafir" (unbeliever) between his eyes. (Abu Amru Uthman bin Saeed Ad-Dani's
book As-Sunan Al-Waridah
Fil-Fitan)

The Daabba will also talk to people. It will say, "Mankind had no faith in our
revelations." (Ibn Kathir)

Place of Emergence

Many opinions have been expressed as regards to the place the Daabba will
come out from. A few are listed:
1) It will come out from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam in Mecca. This opinion is
based on the Hadith reported by Tabrani on the authority of Huzaifa bin Usaid.

2) Some scholars believe it
will come out from the Safa in Mecca.
3) It will come out three times, from some desert and then go back into hiding,
then from some village and finally from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.

There are many other opinions most of them report that it will come out from the
Haram of Mecca. (Imam Qurtubi's book Tazkirah and Muhammad Al-Barzanji's
book Isha'ah li
Ashrat Al-Sa'a)

Baridah
said: "The Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم took me to a place in the
desert, near Mecca. It was a dry piece of land surrounded by sand. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsaid, 'The Beast will emerge from this place.' It
was a very small area." (Ibn Maja)

The following are some of the different opinions that have been expressed by
scholars regarding the nature of the Daabba.

1)The Beast called Jassasa whom Tamim Dari encountered

Some Ulama are of the opinion that the Daabba to come before the end of time is
the animal which has been mentioned in the Hadith of Fatimah-b-Qais.
Known as the Jassasa (spy) seen by Tamim Dari and his companions from the tribes
of Lakhm and Juzaam on the same Island as the Dajjal. This is related of being
the opinion of the Sahabi Abdullah bin Amr ibn al-Aas. (Nawawi's commentary on
Sahih Muslim)

In a Hadith narrated by Fatima bint Qays,
Prophet Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلمonce gathered the Muslims in the mosque
after prayer and said:

"I have kept you here because Tamim
ad-Dari, a Christian man who has embraced Islam, told me something which agrees
with what I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a
ship with thirty men from Banu Lakham and Banu Juzam. The sea waves rocked them
about for a month, and finally
drew them toward an island
around sunset time. They approached the
island and landed. They were met by a beast that was so hairy that they could
not tell its front from its back. They said: 'Woe to you! Who are you?' It said: 'I am al-Jassasah.' They said: 'What is al-Jassasah?'
It said: 'O people, go to the man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know
about you. Tamim said that when it named a person to us we left quickly fearing
that it might
be a devil.

Tamim Dari said we quickly went to the monastery. There, we found a
huge man
whom we had never seen before. His hands were tied up to his neck and
his legs tied up with with iron shackles. We said: 'Woe to you, who are you?' He said: 'You will
soon know about me. Tell me who you are.'

We said: 'We are people from Arabia.
We sailed on a ship, but the waves have been tossing us around about for a
month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a very hairy beast.
It said: 'I am al-Jassasah.' We asked: 'What is al-Jassasah?' and it told us:
'Go to the man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you.' So we
came to you quickly.

The man said:
'Tell me about the date-palm trees of Beisan (town in Northern Palestine, near
Jordan River, renamed by Israel as Beit She'an).' We said: 'What do you want to know
about them'?' He said: 'I want to know whether these trees bear fruits or not.'
We said 'Yes'. He said: 'Soon they will not bear fruits.'

Then he said: 'Tell me
about the Lake of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee in Palestine).' We said: 'What do you want
to know about it?' He said: 'Is there water in it'?' We said: 'There is plenty
of water in it.' He said: 'Soon, it will become dry.'

Then he said: 'Tell me
about the spring of Zughar (near the Dead Sea in Palestine).' We asked: 'What do you want to
know about it'?' He asked: 'Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the
land'?' We said: 'Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to
irrigate the land.'

Then he said: 'Tell me about the illiterate Prophet
(Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم), what has he done?' We said: 'He has left
Makka (Mecca) and settled in
Yathrib (Madina).' He said: 'Do the Arabs fight against him'?' We said 'Yes'. He
said: 'How does he deal with them'?' So we told him that Prophet Muhammad had
overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked: 'Has it
really happened?' We said yes. He said: 'It is better for them to follow him.

Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will
soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the Earth.
In forty nights, I will pass through every town, except Makka and
Tayba (Madina), for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter
either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will
prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every route leading to them.'
Fatima bint Qays said: Then, the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلمstruck the minbar (pulpit) with his cane and said: This is Tayba, this is Tayba, this is
Tayba, meaning Madina. Did I not tell you this before? The people said: Yes.
He (The Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم
) said: I liked the story of Tamim because it agrees
with what I used to tell you about him and about Makka and Madina. But he is in
the Syrian Sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemeni Sea (Arabian Sea). No, rather he is
in the East, he in the East, he is in the East, and he pointed towards the East
with his hand. She said: I memorized this from the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم . (Sahih
Muslim)

2) Camel

Some scholars are of the opinion that it is the young of the she camel
of the Prophet Salih
عليه السلام.
Imam Al-Qurtubi holds the same opinion, he writes in his commentary of the
Qur'an, "The first opinion (regarding the Daabba) is that it is the young of the
she-camel of the Prophet Salih عليه السلام.

Opinion
Explained

The people of Thamud were Arabs who lived a couple of hundred years after the
Prophet Noah عليه السلام
in
a place called Hijr which today is known as Madaain Salih in the North of Arabia
near Tabuk. Blessed in provisions and livelihoods their land was fertile with
green gardens and running springs and they skilfully carved spacious houses out
of mountains. They were ungrateful to Allah as they worshiped the stone
idols they carved with their very own hands. Thus, Allah honoured Salih from
amongst them by choosing him to be a prophet to the people of Thamud to bring
them out of darkness into light.

Salih عليه السلام
conveyed
the message of Allah day and night and called them to the worship of Allah with
wisdom and kind-heartedness, but the people of Thamud decided to remain blind.
Finally, they like the communities before them asked to see a miracle. They
said, ' O Salih take out a ten month pregnant she-camel from a mountain which
then gives birth to a young that has the same body and stature as the mother.
Even after seeing this miracle, they refused to believe. The she-carnel was a
sign of Allah, very large and unusual in form and the people were warned that
they would be destroyed if they mistreated it.All the other animals were
afraid of Prophet Salih's عليه السلام
camel and would run away whenever she and its young
offspring came to drink water. Thus, bounds were arranged. However, after a very
short period, they broke the agreement and decided to kill the camel of Allah. A
group hid waiting for the camel on its return from the well with its offspring.
Shooting an arrow, they injured it and finally killed it, paving the way for the
destruction of the entire community. On seeing its mother in trouble, the
offspring fled to the mountains and disappeared. This offspring is referred to
in the second opinion.

3)
Extraordinary Animal

Some are of the opinion that the Daabba to come is an animal that has features
of many different animals.

Describing the Daabba, Abu Zubair reported that, "Its
head is like that of a bull, eyes like that of a pig, ears like that of an
elephant, horns like that of a stag, neck like that of an ostrich, chest like a
lion, colour like that of a tiger, flanks like that of a cat, tail like that of
a ram, feet and legs like that of a camel and a distance of 12 cubits between
every two joints." (Imam Qurtubi's book Tazkirah)

4) Snake

Some scholars are of the opinion the Daabba is the Snake which guarded the Holy
Ka'ba. Imam Al-Qurtubi relates this as being the opinion of Ibn Abbas. (Imam Al-Qurtubi
book Tazkirah)

Obeying Allah's command, Prophet Abraham
عليه السلام
with
the help of his son Ishmael
عليه السلام
built
the Holy Ka'ba. He dug a well inside the Holy Ka'ba which was to the right of
who entered it and acted as a safe to all the gifts that were presented to the
Ka'ba which were kept inside it. At the time of Jurhum, the gold and silver were
stolen many times from the Ka'ba; thus, the tribe of Jurhum decided to choose a
man amongst them to keep guard it. Unfortunately, one day the guard himself
decided to steal the gifts of the Ka'ba. Taking the opportunity as it came, he
climbed down the well and began to gather what he could in a piece of cloth.
While he was busy, Allah sent a rock on him, which closed the well and thus he
was unable to escape. From that day, Allah sent a snake to guard the Ka'ba.
The snake lived in the well guarding the gifts of the Ka'ba for over 500 years.
Exposed to the wearing factors of nature, the walls of the Ka'bah at the time of
Quraish (slightly before the time Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم was
designated as a Prophet) had become weak and part of the covering had also
burnt; thus, the Quraish decided to rebuild the Ka'bah. However, the snake
prevented them from demolishing the Holy Ka'ba every time they tried.
Finally they stood at the Maqam (Place) of Abraham عليه السلام
and
prayed, "Oh Allah if you are happy in its rebuilding, then make it possible and
take care of this snake." Allah sent an eagle which took the snake towards
Ajyaad. This is the snake referred to in the fourth opinion. (Al-Azraqi's
book Tarikh Makka)

Many other opinions have been expressed as regards to the nature of the Daabba.

"There are many narrations in
regards to the physical description, length, and nature of the Daabba, but most
of these are Mawqoof on the Sahaba or those after them. As for those that are
Marfoo only a few are sound; thus, we cannot assert anything in regard of its
description and nature, except that which is proven from the authentic Marfoo
narrations and that it is a huge creature that will come out from the
Earth, a creature but not a human being, nobody will be able to escape
from it." (Abu Amru Uthman bin Saeed Ad-Dani)

5) Not an animal

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